Entwined Redux
by Morbid1Curiosity
Summary: [Remake]AU story. Remember when parents told you that monsters don't exist? They lied. Ruby found that out the hard way as She's attacked by one of the things that go bump in the night. Saved by a mysterious girl, Ruby was not prepared to have her whole life changed. While Her fate gets entwined with that of her savior, she discovers that the world has many layers. Horrible layers.
1. Prologue

**Author's note:**

**While I usually prefer to leave those at the end of my stories and chapters, I think it's only fair for you to know what you're getting yourself into.**

**I promised a "remake" of this story for a while now. To be honest ever since finishing the original. And while I have a lot of ongoing stories, I always wanted to move this forward, so here it is. **

**For those that read the original and liked it, I still recommend reading this, as I will change quite a bit. Not just the style, which was a first-person fic in the original. ****I will keep the perspective swap from the original, although it won't have any pattern, saying this more to myself to prevent myself from writing myself into a corner just because of a gimmick or something dumb like that.**

**For people that didn't enjoy the first one... Well, I hope you'll give this a shot. Since I like to believe I sort of improved a tiny bit over the time I started writing those, I hope that the change of style and other improvements will make this remake a better experience. Or just an entertaining read.**

**For new people? Well, this is an AU I always wanted to work on... And I did once but decided it was meh so I decided to try and make it better. It's my "edgy" AU, you know, something people write at one point in their fanfic career (hehe career... sigh). **

**I think this is all the important information I would have. **

This was a nice night, warm to the point that Ruby questioned why even wear her black jacket. If she had someone to share this time she would most likely do so outside on some bench and just observe the stars. That was another part of this night that made it so nice, the clear sky and while city lights dimmed the stars out, there were still some bright enough to be visible together with the big, full moon. If only she had that someone to share this night, sadly all her friends were left in her old place, together with her dad that did try for her to stay. Her sister was another deal, but that wasn't something to think about right now. Such a waste of all that free time, since she had nowhere to go tomorrow, all the time in the world, she could stay up all night, enjoy the beautiful sky and the warmth that filled the air. All the time in the world…

_Tap tap tap tap..._

...Since most likely she just lost her job… Again!

_Tap tap tap tap..._

The redhead let out a groan at that, it was her third job this month. First, she was falsely accused of stealing and after everything got settled down, not without police intervening, she decided she didn't want to work in such an environment. The second was her honest mistake. She had no idea that her boss back then was allergic to peanuts. It's not like she wanted to almost kill the guy, she just wanted to do something nice for him! Luckily that whole thing ended up with a safe landing for her, although she again lost her job. And now this.

_Tap tap tap tap..._

When she was asked to stay after hours to help the manager she thought she did something good or something bad and she was to be either praised or have some sort of last chance kind of deal. How wrong she was. All the dumb old man wanted was to put his hands under her working uniform. Going from promises to threats about her job and payment.

_Tap tap tap tap..._

While people could say a lot about her, sure she knew she couldn't handle a crowd that well and maybe making friends came a bit awkward for her, sometimes. Depends on the other person. She knew how to handle herself in a situation like that. Even before leaving Yang did teach her what to do in a situation like that, not that she knew how to do any sort of martial arts, but it didn't require her to be a kung-fu master to knee a guy in the crotch. Pouring ice cold water on the guy was just a bonus to cool him off from being so horny. It was like with the peanut butter stuff and her previous job, she just wanted to be nice!

_Tap tap tap tap..._

Jokes aside this was most likely it for her in that place. At this point, she believed she was cursed. That made her sigh again as she glanced at the starry sky. What a horrible night to have a curse. Rain and storm would be better, at least it would fit.

_Tap tap tap tap…_

The sound finally registered inside her brain and she couldn't help but glance over her shoulder. What she saw, she couldn't believe. Behind her was a small figure, she decided on it being a female as the sound of high heels was what brought her attention. She was wearing a big white cloak with a hood, both made it hard to catch any glimpses of the woman's skin or even clothes.

"The white witch?" She couldn't help but whisper to herself. Was this a prank? It had to be, right? No way that stupid urban legend was true. It was just a stupid thing they made fun of and scared folks from the countryside like her, thinking it's some sort of dark ages back where she used to live.

Jokes or not she felt her heart began to beat faster inside her chest and the adrenaline being administered into her blood. She had to lose her somehow, but how? She didn't want to be too obvious about her intent if it was staged or it was some sort of maniac or even if the one percent possibility of it being the white witch herself was true, it would just make this person chase after her, right? No, she needed a plan… A plan… She was bad at making plans, hell that's why she ended up in this pickle in the first place!

Back alleys! Sure, dangerous but she could lose her there, right? And if she remembered correctly this one was a twisty one with an open end at the other side. A perfect way of losing someone, she could start running after the first turn.

She did just that, turning into the back alley.

_TapTapTapTap…_

Just as quickly as she noticed that the sound behind her gain in speed, she began to run as if her life dependant on it. Hell, for all she knew it did. It turned out that this alleyway didn't have any forks and was linear with a few turns here and there. This was troubling, as it meant she wasn't in the right alleyway. The one she initially had in mind.

_TapTapTapTap…_

The sound was gaining in volume which could mean only one thing. The person behind her was catching up. She clenched her teeth. As if she didn't go through enough today. She summoned all the strength she could muster to try and speed out of this stupid alleyway. Once out she would yell for help.

_TapTapTapTap…_

Dead end… In front of her was a dark, covered in shadow wall. It was a dead end. She turned around towards the sound and started to slowly back off into the wall. The light here was bad, but not bad enough so that she could hide. Besides, there was too little time for that and not enough places she could do so without making too much noise.

_TapTap tap tap…_

The white figure appeared from around the corner, once she noticed that Ruby was cornered, she slowed down.

"Look, I get it, it's a great prank! I'm sure people will have a laugh, so you can drop the act, alright?" The dark-haired girl called out, deep down hoping that this would end and they could have a laugh. Hell, maybe she could even make friends with… whoever was doing the joke, right?

There was initially silence as the figure started to get closer, moving slowly as if she was approaching an animal in distress. For all Ruby cared she might as well be but a cornered animal in distress at the moment. Finally, the figure, no, the girl spoke in a soft voice. "On three, jump towards me and get on the ground. Until then no sudden movements."

Ruby blinked at that. What did that mean? Was that a threat? Or was something about to happen? Was this part of the prank?

"One."

As all those questions started to roll around her head, finally came an answer. As she heard a hiss behind herself. Not just any hiss, it sounded… Otherworldly for lack of better explanation. Just the sound alone sent a cold shiver down her spine and froze her in place, she felt paralyzed. It was nothing like the weird anxious fear of the cloaked person. This was… Primal. No, not even that. She couldn't comprehend her feelings, let alone describe the sound she just heard.

"Two."

With one last conscious thought, she understood why she had to jump. No, not exactly understand. She just knew she had to do it if she was to remain alive.

oooOOOooo

_A few moments earlier_

What a beautiful night. On nights like those Weiss liked to just relax, take a walk around the city, grab a bite or two of something and just enjoy the feeling. Enjoy life. Sadly she couldn't do that, as she was called on duty. That was the least favorite part of her profession. How do people call it nowadays? Flexible working hours? Sure, she could go with that.

She pulled the hood of her white cloak deeper over her head. While some would question why to wear white-colored clothes to remain inconspicuous… Well, sometimes the best way to hide isn't inside shadows. No, her camouflage was of a social variety. It took a bit to build it, but she finally did it. The white witch. While she didn't like that term, she had no control over what it would be called. It was clever and with people and their social media, most folks would assume it was a prank. Especially any kind of uniformed services.

She slowed down as she noticed someone else on the streets. This wasn't unusual, while late, people would still appear from time to time around here. Then again this side of the city had a bad reputation, which made her curious as to why this person was here in the first place.

It was a girl, a young girl, around her twenties, maybe slightly less. At best barely able to drink. Dark, short hair. She seemed to be wearing some uniform on top of which she put a dark jacket. One of those disgusting fast-food chain restaurant uniforms, all she was missing was the ridiculous hat. She didn't seem to notice her, as she was deep in her thoughts. Not nervous, more…Distressed? Too far to make anything but an assumption, even with how good her eyes were.

Still, there was no other thing but to follow the girl. Not because the girl was important, simply she was heading the same way as her. It was inevitable for the other girl to notice her, as her boots had a hard heel which left a clacking noise. She didn't have to prepare too much for this. It was supposed to be an easy job. No need for sneaking, she could wear something she felt comfortable in… Well, perhaps minus the cloak. Oh, how wrong she was.

It was amazing how long it took the dark-haired girl to notice her. But it was very clear for Weiss once that happened. The other girl's movements became nervous and she slightly quickened the pace of her steps, which was a good thing, since at that rate Weiss would catch up with her. Soon she would be out of this girl's hair, as her stop was in the next alleyway, a place that would be the last thing a girl like the one before her should think about when followed late at night.

It was just her luck for this simple and easy job to complicate itself to this degree.

The girl in front of her did the last thing that Weiss thought she would. She took a left and entered the alleyway. "No..." She said under her breath and began to run. She had to be quick, otherwise, this entire thing would end up in unnecessary tragedy.

As soon as she began to run she heard the other girl do the same. She cursed herself for her choice of footwear and speed up. They were approaching the source, which meant one thing.

She was too late.

As she ran past the last corner, she slowed down. It was here and the girl just backed herself up against it.

To the untrained eye, there was only darkness. But she saw it. It attached itself to the wall. At a first and very brief glance, it looked like a big dog. If someone skinned said dog alive. It had three pair of lizard-like legs and a head that was a mix of a dog and a spider, with eight eyes that looked like a grotesque version of human eyes with just the whites. Its maw consisted of sharp teeth and had a pair of long mandibles. While the sight itself was intimidating, the creature didn't just operate on looks alone. No, the worst was two additional appendages on its back, two giant and long claws that more resembled two bone whips with how many joints it had. Both having a sharp spike at its end.

It was preparing to jump at the girl. "Look, I get it, it's a great prank! I'm sure people will have a laugh, so you can drop the act, alright?" She clenched her teeth as she heard the other girl yell at her. She had to act fast.

She continued to slowly approach the two. "On three, jump towards me and get on the ground. Until then no sudden movements." Trying to keep her voice calm and steady, although she knew that the creature was aware of her by now. The question was if she would be quick enough for it to not get to the girl before she would have a chance to get to it.

"One." She started to count, the dark-haired girl having confusion written on her face. "Two." Even before the girl showed it, Weiss could smell it. Her fear. Surely, the beast would smell it as well. That would be the last hint for it to jump. That worked both ways, the girl had to understand that something was wrong. But would she cooperate? "Three!"

As soon as she yelled the last number, everything started. The dark-haired girl lunged forward, to her surprise she managed to make quite the distance with her leap. But there was no time for being impressed. As soon as the other girl lunged forward, Weiss stepped forward, raising her hand just in time to summon her glyph and see the beast land against it, both of its bone-like appendages scratching against the surface of her glyph, making a horrible screeching sound.

The creature got close, too close if anyone asked Weiss. It wouldn't matter how long she fought this type of beasts, she would never get used to the awful stench they had. She pushed the beast back, her glyph disappearing as her left hand quickly unleashed her rapier. This would be a long night, she already knew it.

oooOOOooo

Ruby landed on the ground, covering her head as if expecting an explosion. Her body hurt all over from the landing. She froze as she heard a screech from behind her followed with a sound of something scratching against some metallic surface. At first, she thought that this was it. The other girl lost and the question was would the beast be satisfied with eating her or would he just kill her as well just for the sake of it.

But no, the truth was different. As time went on, she started understanding that the noise behind her was due to a fight. Out of curiosity or maybe necessity, she decided to raise her head enough to see what was going on.

The girl was fighting the beast, in her left hand was a thin sword that she used to parry the long, bone-like claws it had, while her right hand occasionally summoned a weird glowing circle with strange symbols inside of it. The sight mesmerized her. She wasn't sure why, but she couldn't take her eyes off of it.

The white-haired girl moved fast, so fast she didn't even know it was possible. Which was just enough to keep up with the creature's movement. But after a while, she noticed that the… White witch, for the lack of a better name for her, she wasn't attacking. She was on constant defense. Was she waiting for an opening or…

… Or was it because of her? At that thought, Ruby's eyes went wide. Would she be the reason both of them would die? No, she had to run. This girl knew how to deal with this type of thing. She had the tools and… And magic? She wasn't even sure anymore what she saw. Maybe it was just a bad dream.

She shook her head and raised herself, ready to get up and speed out of the alleyway, maybe even yell for help or…

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt a sharp pain in her feet, no, not feet. Her ankle. Like a lightning bolt, it shot up her entire body and made her land on the ground once more. She couldn't help but scream as the pain overtook her body. This would make things only worse.

The sound of her scream distracted the White Witch, as she briefly looked over her shoulder, that second was enough for the beast to jump at her and past her defenses. The sight of both of them lunging above Ruby was enough to distract her from the pain. The world slowed down as she watched both the girl and the beast fly over her head and land a few feet further away. While surprised, the white witch remained calm or at least in some control, as she kicked the beast off of her before it could do any harm.

That ended up being a mistake, as the beast landed close to Ruby. While momentarily dazed, it took a moment before its awareness of its surrounding came back to it. It turned its ugly head towards Ruby and rose its claw, ready to impale the laying girl to the ground with it.

As she saw the bone tentacle dive towards her, she screamed from the top of her lungs. And then came darkness.

oooOOOooo

Once Weiss understood what was going on, she panicked. This girl was too close for any kind of glyph, trying to save her by killing both her and the beast was stupid. But as she saw the beast raise its appendage, she did something that she would never even consider at any other time. As she rose her arm, she swung her sword towards the beast.

It took her a second to measure the distance between herself and the beast and the weight of her weapon. While her rapier was perfectly balanced, it wasn't a throwing weapon, still, it could be used as such if thrown perfectly. And Weiss was nothing but perfect with her weapon.

Either way, her desperate move was executed too late. As soon as she felt the weapon leave her hand, the same moment she saw the bone claw rip into the girl. "No!" She yelled, not a second after her scream, the sword would plunge into the flesh of the beast. Weiss decided not to wait, as she began to run at the wounded creature. As she summoned a glyph in one of her hands, she knew that she had to improvise. Once close to the creature, she placed her hand against its flesh, the glyph still there, she summoned a large shard of ice. The chunk of frozen water would explode through the glowing symbol and pierce the beast, sending it across the alleyway and impaling it to the wall.

The beast whimpered and tried to move, but the life was escaping it more and more, soon it was no more than a corpse.

Weiss breathed heavily, still in her combat stance, ready just in case the creature was faking it. After a moment of silence, she relaxed. A few deep breathes and… The girl! She forgot about the girl. As soon as that thought entered her mind she turned her attention towards the unlucky fast-food worker. Maybe it wasn't that bad, maybe it could be healed or she could prevent her from dying, maybe…

...Maybe nothing was wrong? Weiss blinked as she moved closer to the girl, kneeling next to her. There was no wound. No blood. Nothing. She reached with her hand to touch the girl and a tingly sensation filled her fingers. This made her eyes go wide and as if to answer her unspoken question, a shiny barrier appeared around the girl, only to crack like thin ice and finally break.

"Aura." Weiss whispered and rolled the girl to her back. She was unconscious which was good. It would make it easier for her. With a sigh, she reached towards her bag. "It's my luck to meet such a troublesome girl like you."

**Author's note 2:**

**This is just a prologue, while I already know sort of where the story will go for... Well, way in the future, I wanted to incorporate the entire remake as a sort of prologue to the next part of the story. But for practical reasons, mostly because I don't do well with writing super long things and lose motivation, I decided to still keep it as a separate story and divide it into chapters. This made me think about extending it and fleshing it out more since I'll be able to with this form of a story.**

**I hope to write a few chapters for this if only to give people the idea of where I'm going with this, so expect maybe some updates soonish. Maybe. No promises.**


	2. Both sides

Pain came in many forms and could be classified in various degrees. At least Ruby liked to think so. She did see some pointless trivia on the internet about some pain scales and all that, but she never cared enough to remember those names that were associated with said terms. As such she used her scale. How would she classify her current state? Feeling like shit, that's how.

It wasn't that she was hurting, it was this nauseous feeling inside of her combined with how exhausted and tired she felt, yet because of the first, sleep was unavailable for her. Not anymore. There was also her leg, which legitimately hurt, it didn't take her long to understand that it had to be swollen. Her bed also felt different and… And everything was wrong.

Top it off with the crazy dream and she had to have one of the wildest nights imaginable. Was it normal to have such strange dreams after a party like that? Maybe there was some scary story involved or something, that would explain the presence of the white witch in said dream.

Only then did her brain started processing her surrounding. First, she heard clacking, keyboard clacking. Which shouldn't be there, She lived alone. This made her open her eyes and while the room was dimmed in darkness, it didn't take her too long to understand that this wasn't her room. Even in her current state, the conclusion was obvious.

Yesterday wasn't a dream.

She forced herself to sit up, a grunt leaving her throat in the process. In a small room, just in front of her sat a young girl. The same girl was also the source of the tapping she heard earlier, as she worked on something that seemed to be a laptop. Said device serving as the only light source in the room.

"You're awake." The other girl said as she ceased her typing and slowly turned around, taking off her glasses in the process as she settled them on her lap.

"I-I am." Ruby answered as she felt her throat becoming dry. But that didn't distract her from taking in the sight of her captor, for lack of a better term. She was young, most likely her age. Blue eyes and white hair. Not gray, no. White, like fresh snow. Which was oddly fitting considering her icy blue eyes. The image of a perfect face was shattered with a single scar that went over one of the girl's eyes.

The chair creaked as the girl slowly stood up, placing the glasses on the desk behind her as she approached her. "How do you feel?"

"You're the white witch." Ruby said as she looked at the other girl, ignoring her question. How could she answer something as simple when there were far more important questions on her mind right now.

"I… ah, yes. I'm the one that people call the white witch." The blue-eyed girl crossed her arms and looked to the side. "I assume introduction should come first. I'm Weiss. Weiss Schnee, although that doesn't mean much. Not anymore."

"R-Right, I'm Ruby." She nodded, a bit dumbfounded at this strange situation.

"I'm aware, I checked your I.D while you were unconscious." Weiss answered but it seemed that this conversation wasn't working for either of them, as her answer was followed with silence.

Ruby wasn't sure what to say or how to behave. Was she captured? Or was she saved? This girl, white witch or Weiss, she did fight with the monster and she didn't seem to want to harm her. "What… Now? What will happen to me?" She finally broke the silence.

Weiss let out a soft sigh. "I'll explain later. Not because I want you to wait, but because I have to attend to something before I am able to offer you more of my time. Which you can only imagine is necessary to properly explain the situation you found yourself in." Weiss reached for a small stool that was near the bed and sat on it, no longer standing over her like that. "But before I can go, you'll have to tell me how do you feel."

Ruby wanted to argue at first, but the more she thought about it, the more she understood that there was nothing she could gain from stalling. All she could do is understand what's her situation and what might happen to her. With a sigh, she answered. "Like crap."

"Details." Weiss nudged her on.

"Sick, like I'm hungover. And my leg hurts." She added, not sure what else she could say.

"Right, your leg should be fine in a week or so, it's nothing too serious, but for the next few days, you should avoid applying any pressure to it. So, don't stand on it. I got you a pair of crutches." Weiss pointed to the other side of the bed, and as Ruby took a glance she could see that the white-haired girl was saying the truth. Against a wall was a pair of wooden crutches. "This should be enough for what I wanted to know. I'll leave you be for now and..."

"Water, c-can I have some water?" She interrupted Weiss, the dryness of her throat becoming more and more apparent.

"Of course, I forgot." The white witch approached the desk she was before at and reached underneath it. Taking out a small bag, she placed a bottle of water and some small wrapping next to the container. "It's a sandwich." She paused. "I didn't make it, someone else did. There's a bathroom in this room as well. I'll lock the door for your safety." Weiss waited a moment, and as Ruby remained silent, she quietly left the room.

oooOOOooo

She never liked this elevator. It took so long to get to the bottom, to where she needed to go. Before this technological upgrade, there were only a long set of stairs, at least then she could focus on taking each step. Here? She just stood and waited, her thoughts setting her brain ablaze every time. As each time her ride down here meant something important has occurred.

At least this time she knew on which side she would stand. This time she messed up. It was her fault and she would be answering for that. Oddly enough she wasn't afraid, because while breaking the rules, she had a reason. While not as certain of her behavior, deep down she tried to convince herself that this reason was good enough to break said rules. She always liked to think about herself as a professional. Yet here she was, going rogue like this.

Soon the elevator would come to an end. As the door slid to the sides, she was hit with a bright light, so bright she had to cover her eyes with one of her arms. As the light faded, she lowered her hand and entered the room. Contrary to the sudden burst of light, the room was almost entirely covered in darkness. A single spotlight was centered on a chair that stood in front of a desk. Behind the desk, just on the edge of any light sat a man. "Miss Schnee, please, take a seat."

She didn't even nod, simply did as she was told. She never liked this room as its entirety messed with all of her senses, not just the mortal kind. What was the worst is that it didn't seem like any magic. Not anything she ever felt. She didn't feel anything. It's as if this was normal and it was just her who was… Weird, for lack of a better term.

"I called you here because I wanted to hear about your last mission, miss Schnee." The man said calmly once Weiss sat down.

There were two types of responses to this. One was something she should say, and one was something she actually said. Deep down she knew that the first thing was what she should go to. The proper response. Yet, for some reason, as if controlled by some invisible force, her response wasn't that. No, it was something she knew she wasn't supposed to say. Yet that wasn't the case. "Like always, I write an extensive report with all the details inside of it, Master Ozpin." She lowered her head if only to avoid looking in his direction.

"Girl, do you know how much did your little adventure costs us?!" A female voice would echo through the chamber, soon the owner of that voice would storm out of the shadow. A tall woman that seemed to be in her mid-thirties. Blond short hair and a pair of glasses.

"Glynda." The man began calmly, but the woman had nothing of it.

"There are rules for a reason, to keep the veil stable and ensure the tranquility of both worlds. Your little stunt cost us plenty of resources to try and cover it up." The woman continued. Weiss didn't look up, she just took it. She understood she made a mistake.

"Not to mention you completely disregarded protocols about outsiders. You very well know that we take specific actions in case mortal civilians are involved and if that can't be followed up, you know that it's necessary to..." Weiss couldn't wait for the woman to finish, she very well knew what she would say.

"This is a special case!" She interrupted her and looked up, her stubborn gaze met an equally cold look.

"And what's so special about this?" Glynda asked slowly.

"Silver eyes." Weiss muttered, only to repeat it louder. "She has silver eyes, that's what's different." The other woman blinked and frowned.

"Glynda, please." Ozpin once more called out, this time the woman returned to the shadow, although Weiss could now clearly feel her presence in the room. "Silver eyes? Are you sure?" The man returned his attention to her.

"Yes. She awoke her aura in the fight, later when I checked on her, I noticed that she has silver eyes. Once she woke up, I confirmed it further." She clenched her hands into fists as she rested them on her lap.

"I see." The man said and paused. "You do understand that this is not a normal case. This is not how we recruit people." As she listened to his words, she closed her eyes. "You didn't give this girl a choice. She's forced to join us, to leave her previous life behind, no matter the consequences."

There was nothing else that Weiss could say outside of agreeing. Yet even though it was obvious, she still hesitated. She knew nothing about this girl, what she left behind, what perspectives she had. Maybe she had a boyfriend and they wanted to marry. Maybe she had a bunch of hamsters waiting for her to be feed. Maybe a sick sister or even a child of her own. You never know in this day and age. Yet whatever it is she would leave behind was less important than her newly found duty. If she accepts. Weiss felt her throat tighten at that thought. "I know." She forced her voice to cooperate.

"This matter will have to be discussed, but for now treat this situation as if this girl was recruited normally, with a few adjustments of course. I trust you'll be able to improvise, miss Schnee. Have a nice day." The man said and leaned back, disappearing in the darkness.

It wasn't the first time she was here as such she understood that this briefing… Meeting? Whatever name it has, was over. She stood up and offered a polite bow before turning around and heading towards the elevator.

oooOOOooo

Ruby preferred noodles and soda, but She couldn't complain about the sandwich. Although she could do without water, even tea would be better. To be honest she forgot when was the last time she ate a sandwich, back home maybe? She rarely had time to eat breakfast once she moved out and her late time meals were always eaten or bought when she was out or just about to head home. Even now her previous life seemed to be a mess. She was curious where this new situation would lead her. It's not like she had a job to attend to. Although not earning money was an issue at the moment, gotta pay that rent somehow.

Maybe this was for the better? A little adventure that she'll hopefully live through before going back into the grind of everyday monotony. Besides, the white witch wasn't that bad. Hell, she was sort of cute in that doll-like way. Not the creepy dolls of course, nor those dolls that guys use… You know what? Never mind. That doll comparison did nothing good for her right now. But what else was she to do?

The room was empty, not literally of course, but there wasn't anything she could do in here. Especially not with her leg being messed up like that. She couldn't even try to take a look around, not without shambling and being in pain. So here she was, contemplating her life as she munched through bread and cheese.

The sound of someone knocking on the door brought her back to reality, as her first instinct was to allow the person to enter, but she stopped herself. Wasn't she a prisoner? Still, someone knocked, so she assumed they were polite, so why be rude back at them? "Come in?" It was hard to not make that sound like a question.

It was the white witch… Weiss, was it? She entered the room pushing a wheelchair. That last bit confused Ruby quite a bit, as she tilted her head. "What's that for?"

"You, who else?" Weiss frowned as she responded and released the handles from her grasp, moving towards Ruby.

"I thought you said my leg wasn't that bad… Wait, you're not going to cut it off?!" At that, her eyes grew in panic as she leaned away from the white-haired girl.

Weiss simply rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not. We'll move you to your new room, and since it's quite a bit of a distance from here, I thought it would make it easier for you if I helped you out with a wheelchair than have you hobble over there, especially since you might not be used to crutches."

"O-Oh, w-well don't scare me like that!" Ruby let out a sigh of relief, she liked her legs. While she no longer was at school, she still liked to take a jog once in a while. Doing so without one leg? While not impossible, sounded very scary.

"Right, did you eat the food I left you?" The white witch asked as she put her hands on her hips, standing over her.

"I did." Ruby nodded, the posture and the fact she towered over her like that made it an intimidating display on Weiss's behalf.

"Good, I'll help you get in the wheelchair and we can get going. You're welcome to ask me any questions while we have our little walk. Although I'm afraid this place isn't really interesting." With that said, Weiss did as she promised, helping Ruby move from the bed and onto the wheelchair. It wasn't that big of a hassle really, but it sped things up. Soon the two left the room.

The place was… Oddly just as Weiss explained it to her. It was a long tunnel with metal doors here and there, she assumed the frequency at how often she saw a door meant how big the actual room was inside. She saw some labels on the door but she was too far to read them and then again she didn't want to seem as if she was too interested in anything too much. Just in case. If anything this place looked like some stereotypical jail or dungeon. "You said I could ask questions, right? So… Where exactly are we?"

"There are two answers to your question." Weiss started, as she continued to push the dark-haired girl on the wheelchair. "We call those places crypts, the name originates from the times where those places were located inside or under crypts. Nowadays we're hidden further below, but the name remained." The white-haired girl made a pause, making it clear it was one of the answers, soon she began with the second. "Crypts are our bases of operation. I say ours because as you're suspecting by now, we're an… organized group."

"What exactly do you do?" It was hard for Ruby to not be at least a little fascinated by this. It was like she was taking a part in some weird movie or part of some weird conspiracy theory she never heard about.

"We don't have a name, not as a whole. But we are, I mean people like me, we're called hunters. While the name and what you saw so far would suggest that we hunt monsters like the one you encountered, in reality, we're more of peacekeepers."

"Like some sort of secret police?" Without anything to do with her body, she just got herself comfortable as she asked questions.

"Precisely." Came a short answer.

That made Ruby frown a bit. "So what's the difference? I mean, from what I understand you're implying that you don't just kill monsters, right? So what else do you do?" She tried her best to glance up at Weiss.

"We make sure that the status quo of both sides of the veil is kept." Ruby couldn't help but sigh at that, it's like the more she asked, the more question popped up in her head.

"Right, and what's this veil thing?" With nothing else, she followed the weird trail of questions, hoping to understand at least partially something about this new situation.

"It's what divides the world of… Let's call them mortals and the…" Weiss paused at that, Ruby could catch a glimpse of the other girl's frown. "It's what divides the normal world and the world of what you could describe as supernatural."

Ruby perked up at that. "Oooh… So you make sure nothing attacks humans?"

"No, we make sure that the first layer is unaware of what's on the other side of the veil or that the veil even exists." Ruby squinted at that, her mind was trying to keep up with the flow of all those new information. Her attempt to ask the next questions was interrupted as Weiss stopped the wheelchair. "We're here." She moved away only to unlock the door and roll the other girl in.

It was… Just like the previous room. Gray walls, a single bed with a small table next to it. A big chest under one of the walls with a desk close by and some doors that she assumed to lead to the bathroom. "Um, Weiss? Are you sure we didn't just circle around? I mean, this looks the same as the previous room."

"It's not, I would recognize my room. This is your room from now on, for how long? I'm not sure, that depends on you." She moved the wheelchair closer to the bed. "Now come on, let's get you on the bed. I'm afraid I can't accompany you any longer as I have my own matters to attend." Weiss said as she helped her to move from the wheelchair to the bed. "I left some things in the chest. Some spare clothing and a… A special tablet. We call those scrolls. For now, it has most of its functions locked, but you can use it to contact me if you need anything." Weiss took a step back and cleared her throat. "I'll be on my way." But as she wanted to move, she felt the other girl grab her sleeve, stopping her from taking but a single step.

"H-Hey what will… I mean, what's going to happen to me? Will I be killed? Held here forever? Brainwashed or something?" There were a few more things that Ruby wanted to say, but she decided not to, as if not to offer ideas worse than the brainwashing one.

"Oh, no, you'll have the chance to join us, the hunters that is." Weiss said with a small smile.

"W-Wait, what?! Really?!" Ruby's eyes went wide at that. "W-Wait is this some sort of a… you know, like I don't have a choice thing?"

At that, the white-haired girl's smile disappeared. "I'm afraid that is the case. Not because of you seeing too much. We have our ways to make people forget. Sadly the reason I brought here is that… Well, you changed in a way that is irreversible. This way it's safer for you, us and people you know."

"Wait, was I infected with something?" Ruby gulped at the possibility. Would she turn into a monster? Werewolf or something like that?

Weiss shook her head. "No, no it's… Complicated. But trust me when I say you're safe. Everything will be explained in due time."

"Right, sure of course. Um, when will I be able to inform dad? You know, that I'm changing jobs and all? Don't worry! I won't tell anything about… You know, all this magic and stuff. I just need to make sure he knows I'll be fine and all." Ruby grinned, maybe it was relief that she at least had some concept of what's ahead of her that made her feel this way.

"You won't be able to contact anyone from the outside world." At Weiss's cold announcement, Ruby's grin started to slowly evaporate.

"N-No no, you don't get it." Ruby said as she started to hand gesture. "You see, my dad, he had a wife and that wife left him, right? But they had my sister." As she explained, her gesture grew in momentum, her eyes darting around as she started to feel the pressure. She had to contact her dad, make sure he knows she was fine. "So then he met another woman, she was my mom, and she… Well, she passed away when I was small. Then there was my sister deal and um, well, it sort of was just me and dad. With me…" She paused as she saw a screen being moved closer to her face. It had to be one of those tablets that Weiss mentioned earlier, a scroll was it? But that wasn't important. What caught her attention was what she saw on the screen. An article.

"Young girl found dead in an alleyway." She gulped as her eyes darted around the article, she felt panic building inside her chest. "Ruby R. was found dead, possibly from overdosing unknown substance." There was more, a short interview with her ex-manager, with some people she knew from around her apartment. "No, no… No!" She yelled. "I can't be dead, I'm not dead! I'm here! I'm not there!." Her eyes darted through the article once more. "Unless I'm really dead, this isn't some sort of purgatory, right?" Her head raised as she sent the other girl a pleading look.

"I'm sorry." Weiss moved her hand away, her blue eyes looking to the side.

"No! I have to tell my dad I have to-" Her voice was cut short as she stood up, which was a mistake as her leg was still not well, the sudden pain spiked through her body and made the girl sit back down, as she curled with her hands moving towards her hurting leg in a vain attempt to make it hurt less. "I can't… I can't leave dad, not like this." She started to half-whisper, at that point Weiss wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear that as Ruby couldn't be aware of her keen ears… Or eyes, as she noticed tears drip down onto the floor.

Weiss wanted to reach out towards the girl but decided against it. She wasn't sure what to do. Besides, she was the reason why this breakdown occurred. She hugged the scroll to herself and quietly left the room.

As soon as she closed the door, a familiar voice hit her ears. "You won't try to comfort her?" She jumped a little. She hated being snuck upon.

The girl frowned as she turned around, only to see the cat humanoid standing in front of her. Long black hair, a pair of cat ears and golden eyes, taller than her. "I don't have time for you, Blake."

"Neither for her apparently." The catgirl shrugged and pointed at the room.

Her blue eyes moved to the side. "She'll be fine. She just needs time. Anyway, excuse me, I have some things to attend to." She quickly moved around and past the black-haired girl, hoping to get away as quickly as possible, not being able to shrug off the pair of golden eyes that stared at her in the darkness behind her.

**Author's note:**

**Just as the original, it will have a slow start. Although I hope to offer pieces of lore in more digestible pieces instead of pouring it all at once.**


	3. The Black Deal

"Weiss?" She froze as she heard her name, it lasted for a second before she regained her composure and turned around to face whoever called her.

"Velvet." She smiled as she saw the familiar pair of bunny ears, brown hair and eye combination, although her mood couldn't afford more than a polite, fake one.

"I got those documents you asked for." The bunny girls offered her a folder and a memory stick on top of it. "I got most of it on paper, but there was too much so transferred the rest to this." Velvet explained as Weiss took the folder, carefully balancing it before she secured both the papers and the plastic piece containing the digital data.

"Thank you, I'm sure Fox will get angry at me for overworking you." Weiss avoided looking at the rabbit girl by pretending she was glancing through the folder.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I actually didn't tell him anything, I know how he is these days." Velvet rubbed her shoulder at that. Weiss didn't envy the girl. She was the last technician they had in this place. Last creature of her kind that could maintain their equipment as well as create new. While she was a huntress, more and more was she forced to just being kept inside, as the maintenance was always required for this or that.

"He has a point." Even Weiss thought it was unfair, as she shook her head.

Velvet simply shrugged. "There's no other solution for this crypt to operate." Only to smile afterward. "But I appreciate the concern. Speaking of which, do you know where I can find Blake?"

"Blake?" Weiss's brow rose at that. "May I ask why?"

"Oh, to give her the copy of those documents you just got." Velvet explained with a smile.

"Documents? What for?" The white-haired girl couldn't help but frown at that.

To this, the rabbit girl simply blinked, as if surprised on an equal level as Weiss was right now. "She's responsible for the cleanup."

"What?!" Weiss felt the plastic of the memory stick cut into her skin as her hand grasped it with greater force than before. "But she's my responsibility!"

At that Velvet took a step back, her rabbit ears falling to the sides as she glanced to the floor. "I-I don't know what to tell you, I was just informed that this is the situation. I thought that, since you had the idea, it was to help Blake."

Weiss took a deep breath to try and calm herself. It was pointless to get worked up over this. It was her fault, besides she would be unloading her anger on the wrong person. "Of course, I apologize. I trust Ozpin and if he decided that Blake should do the cleanup..." She needed to be alone right now if only to not accidentally say things she didn't mean to. "I'll head to my room to read through those. Thank you again for your work." Not waiting for any response she turned on the spot and began to walk towards her room. It was rude, of course, but she could always explain and apologize later. A better alternative to being passive-aggressive towards the other girl.

oooOOOooo

Ruby never understood apathy. She read the definition and understood the words, but could never comprehend what it meant to feel it. Or was that the correct term, can you feel not feeling anything? Yet here she was, laying on the bed, not knowing what to do with herself. She felt helpless, useless, powerless. There weren't enough words, to sum up how she felt. How little could she do? Apathetic was the only real definition of her current state.

In the end, she simply laid down and curled up. She heard some voices on the other side of the door but she paid little attention to them. This was such an awful situation for her to be. No real victory to be had. Nothing but misery.

The worst part was that she just felt empty. Not sad or mad. She didn't feel like screaming or crying. Just exhausted, drained of all energy. She laid on the bed in a half curled position. Her mind felt numb and the only thing her body felt was the pulsing pain coming from her leg.

There was a moment where she assumed she had to lose consciousness. Could it even be called sleep? Did she even sleep? How long was she in this mysterious state anyway. The numb feeling still filled her mind and heart to the point where she wasn't sure if it was better or worse since yesterday… Was it even a whole day? She wasn't sure. No lights or clocks made hard to tell time. Besides, she didn't care.

Earlier she got some food, which was her only indication that a longer period had to pass. Weiss, who brought her the food, tried to ask her things but she ignored her. She didn't have to respond to anything. Besides they weren't really important things. How she felt and such as if it wasn't obvious.

She wasn't even sure what the food was, as she didn't bother to offer it as much as a glance. Sure, her stomach felt empty, but she didn't have much appetite. She heard the door open, but she didn't react. Not until she heard that it wasn't who she expected it to be.

"Hello, I'm Blake, it's nice to meet you." That did make her glance up at the newcomer. It was a pale, black-haired girl. It was hard to make out the details in the dimness of the room, but what she noticed were her amber eyes, shining in the darkness. As she stared at her without a word, the other girl continued. "That's fine, you don't have to answer, I know your name. Ruby Rose, right?" She still had no intention to respond. Why should she cooperate with them? "I won't beat around the bush. I came here to offer you a deal. In regards to your father."

Now those words did get her attention, as she raised, a groan escaping her lips as she felt her body being weak from all of this. "My dad? What about my dad?"

Blake smirked. "Got you interested hm?" Her amusement didn't last long before she continued. "Before I offer you this deal, promise me you won't tell about any of this to Weiss."

Ruby let out a short-lived, dry laugh. "Fine, I promise. Although you know I can easily break this promise, right?"

Blake just rolled her eyes at that. "Maybe, but in your current state you don't care and once you hear me out, you'll want to play along." Blake paused as she moved closer, taking the single stool that was located near the bed and sat down on it before continuing. "The deal is simple. I'm responsible for the cleanup. It's a rare situation since nowadays we rarely get surprise candidates like you. We do some initial, quick lies to cover things up since we're racing the clock. After that, we make sure no one pickups the trail." The girl chuckled. "I won't lie, it was easier back in the day, might be why we don't do things like this anymore. Which just proves that some of our procedures are outdated."

Ruby's face contorted in a grimace. "Where's the deal in that?"

Blake leaned forward at that. "I read your file. You have a sister, Yang. She ran away from home."

This just made the redhead frown. "Now you're making Yang a part of this?"

The other girl simply nodded "I do, because for one I can make your dad know that you're well and alive. Two, I can try and make it seem as if you were with her, forcing him to try and find her." She finished with a shrug.

Ruby's gaze wandered lower as she tried to connect this weird… Deal? Whatever it was that this Blake person proposed to her and shape into anything logical. Failing to do so, she just shook her head. "I don't get it, what does finding Yang have to do with me being gone?"

Blake let a small sigh of disappointment. "It's simple. He won't be alone. This will also keep him away and won't force us to… Make sure he won't get too close to us."

Ruby could feel her hands clench into fists. "Now you're threatening his life."

The black-haired girl rose her hands in defense. "No, I'm just saying how it is. I want to assure that it won't happen and that he will end up with some part of his family back."

She took a deep breath and closed her silver eyes, trying to gather everything she was told so far. She had no reason to trust this person if anything she had all the reasons to specifically not trust her or anyone else here. Yet… What would hurt to at least hear her out, right? "What do you want in return?"She asked and once more opened her eyes.

Blake smiled at something, leaning back. "I want you to survive the initiation process. Become a huntress."

Without even thinking, Ruby couldn't help but asked a simple question. "Why?"

Blake simply shrugged. "I can't inform him that you're well when you're dead or about to die."

Ruby wasn't stupid… Well, she was but not to this degree. She knew that this was a deal where she was getting shafted. If she was to agree to something, she had to demand something more equal. Not for her own sake, but because this was about her dad. "No, that's… That's not fair. I have to succeed while you didn't guarantee any success. If you're just going to try, it should work both ways. I'll promise to try my best. Otherwise just… Just do whatever." To demonstrate her attitude towards the potential refusal, Ruby once more laid down, her eyes moved to glance at the floor.

At first, Blake blinked in surprise, only to grin briefly, the grin itself quickly fading off her lips, instead replaced with a small smile. "I see. Fine, but if you fail or half-ass this, I'll be forced to do the same."

Ruby moved herself up again, clenching her teeth not to let out another groan. "I won't, alright? I'll become your stupid huntress. Just… Just please, do what you can." She could feel her energy being drained. It was another stupid seed of hope planted inside of her. It was the only thing she could do right now to help her dad.

Blake's expression changed as her own eyes moved to glance to the side. "Right, not the best introduction for neither me nor Weiss. Look, we're not doing this because we want to. It's just a very delicate situation. Unique situation."

Ruby let out an involuntary snort. "It's unfair."

Blake couldn't help but let a deep sigh. "It is, but we can't risk demolishing what was built over thousands of years because of a few individuals. I'm sorry, this was the most I could offer." She finished with a small shrug.

The redhead just shook her head. "If you care so much why not just do what you said you would. Why do we have to make some kind of weird exchange based on promises." She stared intently at the black-haired girl.

Blake simply smiled, although her smile was a sad one. "To keep you alive. Weiss is already buying time, hoping you would change your mind. If you won't play along, you'll be thrown out. I think that being a huntress is better than life imprisonment."

Ruby again shook her head, none of this made any sense. "I don't get it. If I'm too dangerous to be released and I would refuse to become a huntress why not just kill me."

Blake's face became… Emotionless, like a mask, further compounded by how pale the girl was. "If you ever become one of us, you'll have the opportunity to learn everything. Right now, if you didn't lie, you should focus on your training and the process overall." At that, she stood up and began to walk towards the doors.

"Wait! Before you go… Why? What's with this offer. Why do you care so much? Is it just about me?" Ruby wasn't sure what made the girl change her attitude so much, but she needed some context for this situation. Even if a little bit.

Blake froze in place, remaining quiet for a long while, before finally breaking the silence. "It's just… It's complicated." She began without turning around. "But you remind me of myself, with the family stuff at least. It's a long story, but I cherish them as much as you seem to cherish your father. I understand that and as I said, we're not evil or soulless. We're just limited in what we're allowed to do without everything falling apart."

It sounded so… Genuine, that Ruby couldn't help but break the cold facade she was trying to hold up. "I… I just don't want for him to be alone. It's stupid but if I got a second chance I would just stay with him. I should have never left our small town to try my chances in the big city."

Blake turned around and offered a reassuring smile. "Hey, it's not your fault. It's also not Weiss's fault. You just were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm sorry."

The redhead simply shrugged. "I know, but it's not any easier if I can't blame anyone. Not even myself."

Taking a few steps towards her, Blake placed a hand on her shoulder. "You should move on. Just trust me, I'll make sure your dad will… Will end up fine. Also, don't be too cold with Weiss. It's usually her job to do that to others and yet ever since you're here she's… Different. If that makes sense."

The physical contact helped, even if a tiny bit. This felt less like a dream and a bit more like reality now. "Why? You two are friends?" She rose her silver eyes to glance at Blake.

Blake snorted and laughed at that. "Friend, now that's a word I would never consider to associate with myself and Weiss. But maybe? It's complicated." Blake shook her head, the smile on her lips never ceased to disappear. "Either way give her a chance. As I said, it's not her fault, nor yours that the situation is as it is. If anything? She did her best to soften any kind of negative attention you would get so far."

Ruby glanced to the side. "I don't know. I'll need time to… To convince me that things will work out for the better."

The huntress simply nodded. "Of course, I should be around the crypt for the next few weeks as I prepare and as our field agents gather intel. So who knows, maybe we'll have a chance to talk again. For now, try and eat that food you got and rest. Also, Weiss might get suspicious why you suddenly changed your mind, so think of an excuse." She began to walk towards the door once more, this time not stopping.

Ruby let a small sigh as she muttered quietly, more to herself than to Blake. "I'll try, with both the food and the excuse."

oooOOOooo

It took some time after Blake left to gather the motivation to get the food that was waiting for her. Not that she wasn't hungry, the issue was different. It was on the other side of the room or at least not in her reach. She would need to stand up to get it. Weiss or someone left her a pair of crutches, but even if they told her how to use them, she forgot. She could hop towards it, but bringing the food back was the problem.

She tried a few times to walk with the crutches, she saw plenty of people use them but it proved to be far more difficult than she imagined. She wasn't sure how to grab them, how to walk with them. Nothing. If anything it just further filled her frustration. In the end, she just hopped over to the food and decided to eat while sitting on the floor. The bouncing didn't help with the pain in her leg, but she was desperate to get any food in her.

She wasn't too far into her meal, which was just a bunch of sandwiches, before the door opened again, this time it wasn't Blake. It was Weiss, who immediately panicked as she saw her sitting on the floor. "Huh?! What happened?" She crouched beside her. "Did you fall? Are you alright?"

"Oof waw o ar" Ruby offered her response.

Weiss clenched her teeth before taking a deep breath. "Swallow, then talk."

Ruby, following her advice, did just that and repeated. "Food was too far."

At that, the white-haired girl glanced between the drawer she left the food on and the bed. "Of course, I should have left it beside the bed. I apologize." The huntress girl shook her head. "How about I help you get to bed and hand you the plate? I think that would work out better than eating on the floor."

Ruby felt oddly attached to her plate, her stomach growling in annoyance, but she finally nodded. Weiss took the plate from her and placed it to its previous place, before helping her get up, and then assisting her to the bed. After which she handed the plate back into her hands.

The silver-eyed girl glanced down at the food, taking a deep breath. "I'll do it."

"Excuse me?" Weiss blinked, a bit confused.

"I'll become a huntress." Ruby closed her eyes.

"Oh, oh! That's… That's very good news." Weiss paused. "What, if I might ask, changed your mind?"

"I'll do it for my dad. My dad and every other family out there. If what you said is true, and we're protecting people from monsters, I'll do it." It wasn't a lie since she was doing it specifically to help her dad out, she just didn't fill in the details of her deal with Blake.

"That's… That's great news. I'll inform Ozpin, he'll want to talk to you personally." Weiss said with a bright smile. It was odd to see this girl so cheerful.

"Who's that?" Ruby tilted her head.

Weiss stood up, ready to leave. "Ozpin? He's the master of this crypt." Ruby didn't even have time to react, as Weiss disappeared from her room to go inform... Someone that apparently was very important. let a deep sigh and renew her meal. She hated meeting important people.

**Author's note:**

**With the average length that I upload lately, I can't help but consider this chapter a short one. Which is a good sign for me. Not because of this chapter specifically, but just the fact I seem to upload larger chunks of text.**

**Back in the day, I didn't like AU's and only after I started writing them myself, I found out that I simply had a misconception about them. I can't speak for everyone, but for me, AU's are a great opportunity to try and dip into the same characters from a different perspective. Focus on a different part of their personality. I know this kind of deal might be considered as making certain characters too "OOC" but... Well, it is what it is. **

**Either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


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